What causes headaches during confinement?

There are many reasons for headaches, such as pain caused by fever after suffering from a cold or other illness. Also, friends who suffer from rhinitis may suffer from headaches every day. But why do new mothers who have just given birth and are still in confinement encounter this situation? What is the reason? Doctors believe that this type of headache may be caused by changes in maternal hormone secretion.

Why do you have headaches after giving birth?

Western medicine believes that postpartum headaches are most likely caused by changes in hormone levels. Another possibility is that if an epidural or spinal puncture was used during labor, it could also cause a severe headache. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that postpartum headaches are caused by excessive blood loss, insufficient qi and blood, blood failing to nourish the brain, or physical weakness and cold, cold evil invading the brain, or blood stasis entering the meridians, blocking the brain meridians.

1. Blood deficiency: Excessive blood loss after childbirth, insufficient qi and blood, empty brain marrow, and blood failing to nourish the brain, leading to headaches.

2. Blood stasis: After childbirth, lochia does not flow out, blood stasis rushes upward, brain vessels are blocked, and blood circulation is poor, causing headaches.

3. Cold evil: If a woman fails to rest properly after childbirth and is exposed to wind and cold, the cold evil may invade the brain and cause headaches.

What are the symptoms of postpartum headache?

The symptoms of postpartum headache are mainly dizziness and headache felt by the mother herself, and sometimes the headache is very severe. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the symptoms of postpartum headache vary depending on the cause.

1. Blood deficiency

Excessive blood loss after childbirth, empty pain in the head, dizziness, sallow complexion, palpitations and fatigue. Thin tongue coating, pale tongue, and weak pulse.

2. Blood stasis

Postpartum headache, crackling or unbearable stabbing pain, poor lochia drainage, and lower abdominal distension and pain that refuses to be pressed. The tongue coating is thin, the tongue is dark purple, and the pulse is stringy and astringent.

3. Cold evil

After delivery, the forehead feels cold and painful, which is relieved by heat. The lochia is less in amount and dark purple in color. The tongue coating is thin white and the pulse is stringy and astringent.

What to do with postpartum headache

1. Ice pack

Place ice cubes in an ice bag or wrap them in a towel and apply to the painful area. Once the blood vessels in the cooled head constrict, the symptoms will naturally ease.

2. Lie down and rest for a while

If conditions permit, when a migraine attacks, you might as well rest for a while in a dimly lit and quiet room. Generally speaking, just half an hour of sleep will relieve the migraine.

3. Massage your head

Gentle head massage is an effective way to relieve migraines. The temple is an important acupoint for migraine massage. You can press it with your index finger, or you can use your fist to gently rotate back and forth from the temple to the hairline to massage.

4. Drink green tea

The substances in green tea are effective in relieving migraines, so you can drink green tea in moderation to overcome severe migraines. However, postpartum mothers should try to drink less tea during breastfeeding to avoid affecting the baby.